(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tent topper designed to fit on a truck bed and be road worthy at highway speeds. The tent of the tent topper has a plurality of openings therein at preselected locations which permit the tent to engage a plurality of adjustable pins. These pins, with their associated adjustment knobs, provide a means for stretching or making taut the tent to make the topper road worthy at highway speeds. Furthermore, the tent topper can be easily removed from the truck, disassembled, and stored in, for example, a suitcase-type container in the truck cab behind the seat, as many truck owners do not like to permanently affix camper-type shells on their truck beds.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
There are known canvas-type covers for boats and truck beds which are supported by some type of frame. In addition to the teachings described below, the military has used truck-type vehicles having canvas covered truck beds for many years. However, these covers, as well as the covers described below, do not provide a means for stretching the covers to make the covers more road worthy. This generally results in the covers "flapping" at highway speeds. Also, the covers do not provide the best protection in inclement weather.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,493,833, to Reynolds, teaches a boat canopy and frame having bows 12 comprising a pair of end sections 13 pivotally connected to a short section 14 at their inner ends and u-shaped clamp members 16 with bolt 17 at their other end for fastening bows 12 to boat side rail 11. Canopy 18 is supported by a pair of bows and is not affixed to the boat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,440, to Daniel et al., teaches a plurality of fixedly attached u-shaped rigid supports which telescope. The rigid supports support a flexible cover which is secured to the truck bed by a plurality of snap fasteners.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,066,063, to Mullally, teaches a removable cover for a truck cargo box.